Bent bumper

[JCKnife]

My front bumber is slightly bent--enough that it rubs the fender on the drivers side. The bend is in the "straight" part, so it also is messing up the geometry of the holes (I have the bumper off the truck now for sanding and priming).

Could a body shop straighten it out you think?

I have a 12-ton arbor press here, but I don't have any strong steel plates to sandwich the bumper between to straighten it out. Would have to be something stronger than the bumper itself...I'm at a loss for ideas.

 

[TexAndy]

See if you can find a local welder to sell you some scrap steel plate.

 

[pittdog]

Just get a new bumper ! ... be bout the same as a metal fab operation .

 

[papercu]

Bolt it back on the truck (best you can) and find a fair size tree? Wayne

 

[drgreg]

I have straightened them ( on the truck ) with a 10 ton porta-power body jack. Being on the truck gives you alot of points to jack against.

 

[Jakob]

Put it on the ground so it's facing up.
Make sure it's in line with the frame of your truck.
Place the jack on the correct end and commence straightening.

Or...

Line up some two 4x4's parallel with the trucks frame.
Lay the flat side of the bumper that's bent on the wood, dent in the middle.
Have someone/something hold the other end of the bumper up.
Place the jack on the correct spot and commence straightening.

I've done enough redneck repairs that I could straighten anything with next to nothing. I can't put my thoughts in to words very well, I just do it, haha.

 

[TaylorTradingCo]

I have several nice straight ones from trucks that were scrapped for $100 each down near Chattanooga.

Derek Taylor

 

[greenjeepster]

Put it on the ground so it's facing up.......

And I thought his next line was going to be "run it over"

 

[SixSpeed]

I'm guilty of using my Unimog to straighten out parts. Also, one time I bent the bumper down (broke top bolts) trying to recover a truck (broke two wheels off in a mud hole, was REALLY stuck) and just ran it into a wall to bend it back.


If it were me, I'd do as Post #4 recommends and find a big tree, and some chain.

 

[Jakob]

And I thought his next line was going to be "run it over"

Well that's what I did with mine, haha. It was bent differently and I used my Ramcharger instead because I didn't have the room in my yard to set up the Deuce to do it

 

[JCKnife]

Turns out the little arbor press did the trick. I jigged it in there with a 4x4 under it and some steel plates in strategic places to keep the wood from just squashing or getting cut into, and it straightened right out with a LOT of pressure.

It's not perfect, but it no longer contacts the fender and the holes seem to line up!

What's the saying? "Close enough for government work!"

 

[greenjeepster]

Glad it was an easy fix and you didn't even have to throw it on the ground and run it over.

 

[Haggar]

Sounds good. I've used a heavy beam, chains, and a large bottle jack to straighten all types of things, including bent axle housings. Sometimes a little heat helps.

 

[hippiedude]

Cool .. ........... Tim